NANJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Air Force on Sunday sent more than 40 aircraft of various types to the West Pacific, via the Miyako Strait, for a routine drill on the high seas, a spokesperson said.

Shen Jinke, spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, said the fleet, including H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, and air tankers, conducted reconnaissance and early warning, attacks on sea surface targets, and in-flight refueling to test the Air Force's fighting capacity on the high seas.

Bombers and fighters of the PLA Air Force also conducted routine patrol in the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), the spokesperson said at an east China airport.

Shen said routine drills in the West Pacific and patrols in the East China Sea ADIZ are conducted "in accordance with the needs of the Air Force to defend national sovereignty and security, as well as to maintain peaceful development."

Since the East China Sea ADIZ was set up nearly three years ago, the Air Force has kept regular patrols.

The Air Force will continue patrolling in the East China Sea ADIZ to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of China. It will keep conducting various training to improve its combat capacity, Shen said.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Photos of the day: Su-30MKK of the PLAAF 18th Air Division and IL-78 tanker in a "routine" drill over the Pacific

BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Air Force on Monday sent
multiple aircraft models to the West Pacific, via the Bashi Strait, for a
routine combat simulation drill at sea, a spokesperson said.

Shen Jinke, spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, said
the fleet included H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, and air tankers.

The fleet conducted reconnaissance and early warning, sea surface
cruising, inflight refueling, and achieved all the drill's targets.

The drill was a routine arrangement as part of the Air Force's annual
training plan, and conformed to international law and practice, said
Shen.

Drills at sea are common practices of coastal countries and a
requirement of Chinese defense. The Chinese Air Force will organize
drills at sea, off island chains at regular basis, Shen said.

The Air Force will focus on improving the quality of combat simulation
drills, flying over island chains, controlling the East China Sea and
cruising the South China Sea. It will also improve capability in plateau
areas.

The Air Force will also speed up its advanced new military equipment
system in a bid to promote strategic transformation, Shen said.

BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Air Force on Monday sent multiple aircraft models to the West Pacific, via the Bashi Strait, for a routine combat simulation drill at sea, a spokesperson said.

Shen Jinke, spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, said the fleet included H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, and air tankers.

The fleet conducted reconnaissance and early warning, sea surface cruising, inflight refueling, and achieved all the drill's targets.

The drill was a routine arrangement as part of the Air Force's annual training plan, and conformed to international law and practice, said Shen.

Drills at sea are common practices of coastal countries and a requirement of Chinese defense. The Chinese Air Force will organize drills at sea, off island chains at regular basis, Shen said.

The Air Force will focus on improving the quality of combat simulation drills, flying over island chains, controlling the East China Sea and cruising the South China Sea. It will also improve capability in plateau areas.

The Air Force will also speed up its advanced new military equipment system in a bid to promote strategic transformation, Shen said.

Friday, January 01, 2016

Boring logistics picture of the day: IL-78 tanker in PLAAF service.

This CCTV capture confirms that at least one of the three Ukrainian
IL-78 Midas air refueling tankers is operational. Still, the overall
PLAAF tanker fleet is fairly small, consists of an additional 12 H-6U
(H-6 mod). This small fleet is capable of supporting a limited set of
air operations but not a sustained campaign.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

The PLAN task-force participating in this Sino-Russian 8 days long naval drills off Southern China's Guangdong province are 2xDDG, 3xFFG, 1xLPD, 1xLST and 1xAOR. The event is set to start Monday, Sept 12th.